Transporting and dumping device



Sept. 6, 1966 'r. E. 0RD 3,270,901

TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

THOMAS E. 0RD

ATTORNEYS Sept. 6, 1966 T. E. 0RD 3,270,901

TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

THOMA S E. 0RD

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 3,270,901 TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING DEVICE Thomas E. 0111, Aurora, Colo. (4210 Cook St., Denver, Colo.) Filed Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 345,460 19 Claims. (Cl. 214-314) This invention relates to apparatus for transporting and dumping containers; more particularly, it relates to a device for use in conjunction with fork lift trucks for transporting and dumping containers.

As is well known, it is a widespread practice to cut the heads out of oil drums and use them as garbage containers. This is particularly true in industrial establishments. Other type drums or cans are also used as garbage receptacles. The practice is to dump the drums or other containers into large trash receptacles and reuse the drums indefinitely. In view of the large number of drums in use in this manner, the manner in which these heavily loaded containers are transported and dumped creates a serious problem as respects safety, time and labor involved.

Mechanized devices for transporting the drums to a dumping area and dumping them are available. However, the presently available devices are extremely complicated and expensive. Their complication and consequent tendency to break down creates a repair problem. So far as is known. there are no effective devices for use in combination with fork lift trucks for transporting and dumping garbage cans. While oil drums are used as the garbage can to illustrate the operation of the device of this invention, the transporting and dumping device is not limited to use with oil drums as it can be used with other type refuse or garbage receptacles.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive device designed for quick attachment to and for use with fork lift trucks for transporting and dumping receptacles.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of the type stated which is compact in construction and which is adaptable for use with various types of containers.

The transporting and dumping device of the invention comprises in one modification a lifting frame consisting of two uprights or support members with a cross bar at the top and a beam at the bottom of each upright which serves as a foot upon which the frame structure rests. The uprights are preferably of channel construction and one of them is provided with a movable rack engaged by a pinion. The shaft of the pinion is supported in a sleevebearing element attached to a support member and having an internal bearing diameter corresponding substantially to the diameter of the pinion shaft. A second sleeve hearing with a cooperating shaft is mounted on the internal face of the other support member. The entrance to the sleeve-bearing members is provided with angularly opposed guide members for barrel lugs. The shafts riding in the sleeve-bearing members are provided with a groove into which diametrically opposed lug members on the barrel fit lfQT transporting the barrel. The guide members serve to guide the lugs into the slots and both guide members may be provided with extensions serving as guides for axially rotating :1 barrel so that its lugs are properly oriented vertically to permit entry and subsequent seating 3,270,901 Patented Sept. 6, 1966 "ice thereof in the slots. The crossbar is provided with slots to receive the forks of the fork lift truck for lifting and transporting the device. The barrel is dumped by a lever mechanism anchored on the crossbar and actuated by the fork lift to provide movement to the movable rack and pinion to invert the barrel 180. Reverse movement of the rack serves to bring the barrel back to upright position.

In an alternative modification of the invention a horizontally oriented lifting frame with two support members is used in which the rack and pinion are mounted on a support member transverse to it and the lever mechanism for dumping the barrel is preferably supported on top of one of the support members substantially parallel thereto. In this modification the forks of the fork lift truck are positioned underneath the support members parallel thereto and means wider than the frame are provided for receiving fork members.

The invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the barrel clumping device in position for lifting the barrel and attached to a fork lift, the fork lift being shown partially;

FIG. 2 is a front VlCiW of the device of the invention shown in position for lifting a barrel;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on lines 3--3 of FIG. 2 looking in the directions of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the device of the invention shown with the fork lift in position to connect with the dumping device, the fork lift being shown partially;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the fork lift connected to the dumping device for transporting it;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 showing the barrel in inverted position and showing an intermediate position of the barrel by dotted lines;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of sleeve bearing;

FIG. 10 is a partial fragmentary side elevational view of a support member in the area of the rack and pinion showing a modified construction;

FIG. 11 is a view taken ninety degrees to the view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modification of the invention in which the lifting frame is horizontally oriented, and

FIG. 13 is a view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to FIG. 1, the lifting frame of the device of this modification comprises channel-shaped upright support members 10 and 12 supported on feet 14 and 16 and joined together at their top by cross bar 18 provided with slots 19 for receiving the arms or fork members 20 and 21 of the fork lift truck shown partially in phantom and represented by the numeral 22.

The support members 10 and 12 as well as the feet 14 and 16 and the cross bar 18 may be made of light metal or equivalent material. The support members are preferably of channel shaped cross section. Other means than slots may be provided for attaching the lifting frame to the forks of a fork lift truck. Set screws 24 or other an alternative form of suitable means may be used for securing the arms 20 and 21 of the fork lift in the slots 19. If channel shaped support members are used the channel may be facing inwardly or outwardly.

As shown in FIG. 2, the barrel 26 is provided with lifting lugs 27 and 28 attached to the barrel in diametrically opposed positions by any suitable means. One expedient for attaching the lugs is to use a circular removable clamp 29 hearing the lugs. As part of the mechanism for lifting and supporting the barrel, sleeve bearings 30 and 31, best shown in detail in FIGS. 7 and 8, are secured as by welding to each of the support members and 12, respectively, at a distance above the feet 14 and 16 so that when the lifting frame is placed over a barrel, the entrance of the sleeve hearings will be below the lifting lugs 27 and 28. The sleeve bearings may be supported proximate to the support members and the term adjacent to includes this arrangement as well as that described above.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sleeve bearings are provided with a bore 32, the surface of which provides a bearing surface, and an inlet 34 with outwardly sloping guide surfaces 36 and 38 leading into the inlet. The sleeve bearings may be made of solid material as shown or may be of strip material bent into the required shape.

An alternative form of sleeve bearing 31' is shown in FIG. 9, preferably made from a single piece of strip material, in which guides or guide surfaces 36' and 38' are in the form of wings made integral with the bearing section, and wing 38' is provided with an extension 39 which serves as a guide for radially turning a barrel to properly orient the barrel and its lugs for lifting. The extension may be at the end of either wing depending, of course, on the orientation of the bearing when mounted.

The bearing sections of sleeve bearings 30 and 31 receive shafts 40 and 42 (FIG. 2), respectively, which rotate therein. Shaft 40 is provided with circular head 44 rotatably mounted in the channel of support member 10. Shaft 42 is provided with pinion 46 for a purpose which will be described later. Each of the shafts 40 and 42 are provided with a slot extending from its periphery inwardly as shown at 48 for shaft 42 in FIG. 8. The slots are designed to receive lifting lugs 27 and 28.

Pinion 46 meshes with vertically movable rack 50. Rack 50 is mounted between the base of sleeve bearing 31 and the interior surface of channel 12. A rod 52 is attached at one end to rack 50 as shown in FIG. 7 and at the other end to lever 56 as shown in FIG. 5. The rod 52 extends through cross bar 18. Lever 56 is attached by means of a hinge 58 to anchor bar 60 which is attached to cross bar 18. A spring member 62 surrounds the end of rod 52 between the top of cross bar 18 and the bottom of lever 56. It will be seen by this construction that vertical movement of lever 56 serves to move rack 50 vertically by means of rod 52, this movement in turn rotating pinion 46 and, accordingly, barrel 26 through lugs 27 and 28 resting in slots in shafts 40 and 42. respectively, in corresponding sleeve bearings 30 and 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, a linking rod 64 is connected at its upper end to the end of lever 56 with its bottom end passing through a hole in bracket 66 mounted on fork lift truck 22. A chain or other type connecting means may be used instead of rod 64. The lower end of linking rod 64 is threaded and carries two inwardly threaded adjustable collars 68 and 70, one above and one below the bracket member.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 10 and 11 showing a modification in which the channels of the support members are turned outwardly. In this modification the rack 50' and pinion 46' are seated inside the channel while the sleeve bearing 31 is, of course, mounted on the inner surface of the support member 12'. A roller 51 is mounted on the support member by means of spindle 53 and is in contact with rack 50 to align it and permit its smooth movement, As shown in FIG. 11, the pinion 46' is mounted by means of pinion shaft 57, flange hearing 59 and retaining nut 61.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 12 and 13 for a description of the modification in which the lifting frame is horizontally oriented. In this modification the rack and pinion 46" are mounted transversely of support members 80 and 82 which are preferably turned outwardly at their ends to serve as guides for barrel entry and to provide a pivot point 89 located so that lever 56" will be vertically aligned above rack 50".

A preferred, although not required, structure for mounting the rack and pinion is shown in FIG. 13 in which two plates 84 and 86 attached to support member 82 by a bolt or other means support the pinion 46" between them in contact with rack 50". The sleeve hearing 31" enclosing shaft 42" connected to pinion 46" is supported in position by welding to the inner face of plate 84 or otherwise. Slots 88 and 90 are provided on the bottoms of support members 80' and 82, respectively, for receiving forks of a fork lift truck. The slots extend laterally beyond the support member 80 and 82 for providing accommodation of forks of varying distances apart. These slots may be located otherwise and other means may be provided for receiving the forks.

The dumping mechanism is preferably mounted above support member 82 and comprises lever 56" pivotally attached at point 89 on member 82 and attached to rack 50" so that movement of lever 56" vertically will correspondingly move rack 50". Spring 62" can be provided between lever 56" and top plate 90 to insure its return movement.

The operation of the modification of the barrel transporting and dumping device of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1-8 as follows. The fork lift truck is first moved into position with arms 20 and 21 threaded through slots 19 as shown in FIG. 1. The device is then lifted by lifting the fork members and transported to the barrel to be dumped where it is positioned as shown in FIG. 2 with the sleeve bearing 30 and 31 "below the lifting lugs 27 and 28 in such a position that when the forks 20 and 21 are raised carrying the device upwardly with them, the lifting lugs 27 and 28 will be fitted into slots in shafts 40 and 42. The barrel can now be transported and will be held in upright position by means of pinion 46 and rack 50, as rack 50 is held in a stationary position.

Prior to or at the time of dumping, connecting rod is threaded into bracket 66 as shown in FIG. 4, for example, and the apparatus is in condition for dumping the barrel.

In accordance with the construction described, the barrel is dumped as shown in FIG. 6 by forks 20 and 21. which in turn lift linking rod 64 until collar abuts the bottom of bracket 66. Further movement of the forks results in rack 50 being forced in a downward direction which in turn rotates pinion 46 in a counterclockwise direction to dump barrel 26. When barrel 26 has been tilted from an upright position, shafts 40 and 42 will be rotated so that the slots therein will be closed by the internal surfaces of sleeve bearings 30 and 31, respectively, so that the lifting lugs cannot fall out of the slots. After the barrel has been dumped, it is returned to upright position by lowering the fork lift and by means of spring 62 which automatically forces lever 56 up to the original position to return the barrel to upright position as shown in FIG. 6. The empty drum is then returned to its original location and the lifting frame lowered to disengage the sleeve bearings 30 and 31 from shafts 27 and 28, respectively, and the fork lift truck backed away to remove the lifting frame from the barrel for the next operation.

The construction of the lever 56, hinge S8, anchor bar 60, spring 62 and connecting rod 64 with its threaded collars 68 and 70, all operating in conjunction with the arms of the fork lift truck for rotating the barrel, is a preferrcd means for rotating the barrel. Other equivalent means can obviously be used and this structure is merely an illustration of an operable structure for the purpose. The operation of the modification shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is, of course, analogous to that described above.

It is readily seen from the above description that a bar rcl transporting and dumping apparatus has been provided which is simple in construction and operation, is safe for dumping heavily loaded containers, and which can be effectively used by one operator with a fork lift truck.

While the invention has been illustrated by its application with two support members and two sleeve bearings, it is not limited to this structure as a single sleeve hearing and/or a single support member may be used. For example, the sleeve bearings can be substantially lengthened so that one of them will support a heavy barrel and used on a single support member.

It is to be understood from the foregoing that various changes and modifications may be made in the particular construction and arrangement of parts in the preferred and alternate forms of invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for transporting and dumping containers comprising: a lifting frame including two spaced apart support members stationary with respect to each other; a sleeve bearing mounted adjacent each of said support members having an opening at its top; a rotatable split shaft in each of said sleeve bearings; and interengaging means supported adjacent at least one of said support members for engaging the end of a shaft for rotating it in its corresponding sleeve bearing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said shafts are each provided with a slot for receiving lugs on the container.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which each of said sleeve bearings is constructed with guide means forming a guide into its bearing area.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said guide means are surfaces sloping outwardly from the entrance to said bearing area and in which a guide extension is attached to the end of one of said surfaces of each of said sleeve bearings for radially orienting a barrel so that it can be lifted by said apparatus.

5. Apparatus for transporting and dumping containers comprising: a lifting frame including two spaced apart support members; at least one rack mounted adjacent at least one of said support members; an open sleeve bearing having guide means for guiding support elements into its bearing section mounted adjacent each of said support members; a rotatable slotted shaft in each of said sleeve bearings; and a pinion at the end of at least one of said shafts meshing in said rack.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 in which said guide means cornprises surfaces sloping upwardly and outwardly from the entrance to the bearing area of said bearing.

7. Apparatus of claim 6 in which a guide extension is provided at the end of one of said surfaces for each guide means to axially orient said support elements for entry into the slots of said shafts.

8. Apparatus for use with a fork lift truck to transport and dump containers comprising: a lifting frame including two spaced apart support members connected at one end by a cross bar; means associated with said lifting frame for receiving the arms of a fork lift truck; a rack mounted adjacent at least one of said support members; an open sleeve bearing having guide means for guiding barrel lugs into its bearing section mounted adjacent each of said support members; a rotatable slotted shaft in each of said sleeve bearings; and a pinion at the end of at least one of said shafts meshing in said rack.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 including means actuated by movement of the arms of said fork lift for effecting movement of said rack and pinion.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the guide means comprise surfaces sloping outwardly from the entrance to the bearing area of said open sleeve bearing and one of said surfaces of each of said bearings is provided with a guide extension at its end as a guide means to axially orient said barrel lugs for entry into said slots.

11. Apparatus for use with a fork lift truck for dumping containers comprising: a lifting frame including two spaced apart vertical support members connected at their top ends by a cross bar provided with means for receiving the arms of a fork lift; a rack mounted on the internal surface of at least one of said support members; an open sleeve bearing having outwardly extending surfaces forming a guide into its bearing section mounted on the inner surface of each of said support members; a rotatable slotted shaft in each of said sleeve bearings; a pinion carried by one of said shafts meshing in said racks; a lever hingedly attached to said cross bar; connecting means between said rack and said lever; and means for adjustably anchoring one end of said lever to said fork lift truck; whereby vertical movement of said lever by movement of said forks effects movement of said rack and pinion.

12. Apparatus of claim 11 in which said lever is biased into its upward position.

13. In a transporting and dumping apparatus including a lifting frame, a supporting and dumping mechanism comprising at least one open sleeve bearing having a bearing section and an entrance to the bearing section; outwardly and upwardly extending guide members on each side of said entrance; a guide extension on the end of one of said guide members angled in the direction of the other guide member to provide a contact surface for a container lug; and a rotatable shaft having a slot therein in the bearing section of said sleeve bearing.

14. The mechanism of claim 13 including a pinion on one end of said shaft and a rack mounted on said lifting frame and meshing with said pinion.

15. Apparatus for dumping containers comprising: a lifting frame including two horizontally disposed support members connected at one end by a cross bar; means associated with said support members for connecting lift ing means thereto; an open sleeve bearing mounted on the top of each of said support members; a slotted shaft in each of said sleeve bearings; a rack supported adjacent the end of one of said sleeve bearings; a pinion on the end of one of said shafts meshing with said rack; a lever connected to said rack and pivotally mounted at one end on one of said support members; and means for anchoring the free end of said lever.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which said rack is supported between two support plates attached to the outside of one of said support members.

17. Apparatus for attachment to support means for supporting and rotating an article comprising a sleeve bearing having an entrance and a bearing section; a slotted shaft in said bearing section having a pinion on one end; guide means for guiding support means on said article into said slotted shaft and a rack meshing with said pinion; whereby upon movement of said rack the shaft is rotated to rotate said article and said support means are locked in said sleeve bearing.

18. Apparatus for dumping containers comprising: frame structure including two spaced apart support members; means associated with said support members for connecting lifting means thereto; a rack mounted adjacent at least one of said support members; an open sleeve bearing mounted adjacent each of said support members; a rotatable slotted shaft in each of said sleeve bearings; and a pinion at the end of at least one of said shafts meshing in said rack.

19. Apparatus for dumping containers comprising: a lifting frame including two horizontally disposed support members connected at one end by a cross bar; means associated with said support members for connecting lifting means thereto; an open sleeve bearing mounted adjacent each of said support members; a slotted shaft in 7 each of said sleeve bearings; a rack supported adjacent the end of one of said sleeve bearings; a pinion on the end of one of said shafts meshing with said rack; and means for moving said rack to rotate said shaft whereby a container supported by said shaft is rotated to be emptied.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Stokes 214-313 Purpura 214620 Dunham 214313 Bertels 214312 X HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner.

10 A. GRANT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING CONTAINERS COMPRISING: A LIFTING FRAME INCLUDING TWO SPACED APART SUPPORT MEMBERS STATIONARY WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER; A SLEEVE BEARING MOUNTED ADJACENT EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS HEAVING AN OPENING AT ITS TOP; A ROTATABLE SPLIT SHAFT IN EACH OF SAID SLEEVE BEARINGS; AND INTERENGAGING MEANS SUPPORTED ADJACENT AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR ENGAGING THE END OF A SHIFT FOR ROTATING IT IN ITS CORRESPONDING SLEEVE BEARING. 